Venetian blind bottom rail



Nov. 5, 1957 G. c. LAWSON 2,812,022

VENETIAN BLIND BOTTOM RAIL Filed Dec. 25, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 E 3/ 0 22 ll INVENTOR. GOTTFE/D c. LAWSON h} y 56. 5 B X HIS ATTOF/Vy Nov. 5, 1957 G. c. LAWSON 2,812,022

VENETIAN BLIND BOTTOM RAIL Filed Dec. 23, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 7

GOTTFR/D C. LAWSON Fla, 10 BY MW H45 ATTORNEY 1: 67 75 INVENTOR.

United States PatentD Claims. (Cl. 160-173) This invention relates to Venetian blinds, and more particularly to the construction of the bottom rail.

m the manufacture of Venetian blinds, it is the usual practice to provide a head or tilt rail at the top of the blind to. which pulleys or sheaves and ladder tapes are attached. The ladder tapes are secured at the lower end to the bottom rail, and support the slats of the blind which rest on the cross rungs thereof. The bottom rail is ordinarily heavier than the slats in order that its weight will keep the blind hanging straight and to enable the b'lindto be lowered more easily.

The bottom rail has also secured to its the raising and \lowering cords which extend upward between the cross rungs of the ladder tape, being threaded through openings in the slats, up to the head or tilt rail where they pass ovr'Ithe pulleys or sheaves. The free ends of the cords then hang freely usually at one side of the blind where they are easily accessible and may be pulled to raise or lower the blind.

When the blind is raised, the bottom rail is the first to begin its upward travel, the ladder tape folding, section by section, as the slat which is supported by the respective cross rung is picked up by the upward travel of the bottom rail.

"The ladder tapes and pull cords are usually attached in a permanent manner to the bottom rail whereby it is most difficult to perform a thorough cleaning operation orito repair the blind unless the complete unit is taken down from its position before the window.

Then too, if a dismantling of the blind is attempted and accomplished, it is usually necessary to have a skilled craftsman reassemble the unit in order to have the blind operate effectively on subsequent occasions.

It is therefore desirable to present a bottom rail construction of economical cost with detachable members which hold the ladder tapes and pull cords thereby enabling "a person of ordinary skill to dismantle the unit and to reassemble the same after a cleaning or repairing operation.

A more clear understanding of the proposed invention will be obtained by referring to the attached drawings of which: I

. Fig.- 1 is a fragmentary plan view of one end of the bottom rail showing the complete construction;

Fig. 2 is'the same fragmentary view with the bottom rail dust cover removed;

;-Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the bottom rail showing the rectangular shaped slot;

5 Fig. 4 is a plan view of the detachable holder to which is secured the ladder tapes and pull cords;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the detachable holder showing the ladder tape and pull cord attached;

Fig; '6 is a sectional end view along line 6-6 of Fig. l; Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of another embodimerit of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the bottom rail ICC showing the arrangement for securing the detachable holder;

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the detachable holder;

Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 12 is an enlarged fragmentary section of Fig. 11.

Referring now to the drawings throughout which like parts are designated by like reference characters, the bottom rail is of a channel-like shaped construction, of metal or plastic material, having a flat base 10 with arcuate formed side flanges 11 extending upward on each side, and the top edge thereof of each flange is formed into a narrow ledge 12 which is disposed below the top surface of the flange and extends in a horizontal direction toward the center line of the rail. This ridge extends the full length of each side with the exception of the two rectangular notches 15 wherein the ridge and a portion of the flange are cut out forming two side notches to provide for the reception of the detachable clip, each cut out section being in exact alignment to the opposite section.'

The vertical height of the flange need only be that height which will accommodate the reception of the detachable clip and its associated parts.

The detachable holder to which the runner tape and pull cord are attached is also constructed of metal or plastic material. It has a generally fiat base 20 with the extreme ends 21 thereof deviating from the horizontal plane and sloping slightly downward to form end lips. The sides of the holder extend for a greater portion of the length of the flat portion and rise in a somewhat vertical direction at 22. from the base and then curve outwardly at 23 so that the curvature of the side of theholder conforms generally to the curvature of the top part of the upward extending flange 11 of the bottom rail.

Slots 25 are formed in the vertical portion in each of the side walls of the holder and at the same end thereof, and extend along the vertical wall a sufficient distance to allow the holder to be placed in the rectangular slot in the bottom rail.

A keyhole shaped opening is formed in the base of the holder, one end of the opening being larger in diameter 26 and more circular in shape than the other extreme end 27. This enables the knob on the pull cord to be inserted through the opening 26 and slipped down and moved through the narrow central channel to the opposite end 27 thereof where, due to its shape and size, the,

cord 29 is securely held in position.

Located on the underside of the base of the holder are.

four finger shaped members 30 which are generally rectangular in shape with the exception of the central portion of each, where each side extends outward to form a.

small pointed tooth 31. These fingers are an integral part of the body of the holder having been so formed by stamping or some similar process. The ends 32 of the ladder tape are brought down to the'underside of the holder base and the above mentioned fingersqare then bent upward toward the places where they were struck from the base of the holder and-press the ladder-tapeagainst the base and the holes and thereby securing the tape to the holder. The holder with ladder tape and pull cord attached fits into the notches 15 provided for it in the bottom rail.

The end of the holder having the slots 25 cut in the ver-- tical wall of each of the sides is first placed'into the rectangular opening provided by the notches 15 in the bottom rail so that the lip on the same end may be inserted under the horizontal ledges 12 of the bottom rail,- and the holder is then moved along the rail, allowing the slots to receive therein the arcuate formed flanges of the bottom rail.

The other end of the holder is then pushed downward until the free end 21 is below the plane of the ledges after which it is slid in the opposite direction until the unnotched end slides under the ledges (Fig. 2). It is so sliduntil the juncture of the part 21 and the flanges 23 engage the end of the notch 15.

The pressure between the underside of the horizontal ridge and the top face of the holder is thus of sufficient magnitude to hold the holder in position.

A dust cover 82 made also of metal or plastic and slightly arcuate in shape similar in construction to that of a slat extends longitudinally over the entire length of the bottom rail and is constructed so that its side edges rest upon the horizontal ledge formed in the extending flanges of the bottom rail. A slot is formed on the face of thedust cover starting at one side and extending transversely to the longitudinal axis of the cover to approximately the center of the cover which enables it to pass the cords 29.

The dust cover rests upon the horizontal ridges of the bottom rail lying beneath the lowermost cross rung of the ladder tape with the pull cord secured within the keyhole slot. The number of the keyhole slots in the dust cover is governed by the number of pull cords used in the construction of the Venetian blind.

It will be noted that when the holder is in its final position, the ladder tape is pressed firmly, by the outwardly curved parts 23 of the holder, against the sharp edge of the notches 15, which holds the ladder tape securely to the holder and relieves pressure against the weaker lugs 30.

Included within the, concepts of this application is a modified structure having the same basic inventive principles as that of the previous disclosure.

This construction is distinguished from the other embodiment in that it is considerably thinner in overall section.

The bottom rail may also be made of metal or a suitable plastic and includes a bottom fiat surface 50 in the center of the base extending longitudinally the length of the rail with the exception of the two or more bosses 51 formed in the base for providing clearance for the detachable holder holding the runner tape and the knot 28 on the pull cord 29. From the center portion the bottom extends outwardly and inclined slightly downward and the sides of the bottom rail are formed by bending the material upward at 54 and back at 55 and inclined downward toward the central fiat surface of the base where it is made to coincide with the marginal line of the flat surface 50, the curvature of the surface thereby constructed conforming to the shape as best seen in Fig. 11.

A generally elliptically shaped indentation 51 or boss is made on the flat central surface of the base with the transverse axis of the ellipse superimposed onto the longitudinal center line of the central section. This indentation extends downward from the top surface of the base and forms a pocket 56 of suflicient depth to accommodate the reception of the knot of the pull cord.

A pair of tongues 60 and 61 are provided in the surface 50 spaced from each end of the pocket 56, extending across the width of the central flat section of the base and toward each other by making a U-shaped perforation in the rail with the base of the U nearest the indented section. The material isolated by this perforation then bends upward from the base a slight amount and then the remaining portion is generally horizontal with the base of the rail. The tongue 60 on one end is made longer than the one 61 opposite, thereby enabling the detachable holder to be inserted and locked in place. The number of receptacles formed in the bottom rail is, of course, dependent upon the number of ladder tapes and pull cords to be used in the construction of the Venetian blind,

The detachable holder of the alternate construction also retains the ladder tape and pull cord, and themethod of securing each of the above mentioned. parts to. the. holder is similar in both constructions, although the body formation of the alternate holder is slightly different from that of the holder previously disclosed.

The detachable holder in the alternate construction may also be made of metal or plastic and may take the form of an irregular octagon having the two sides 65 and 66 which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the holder longer than any other side.

The central portion 67 of the holder is generally flat with an elliptical boss 68 formed near the'one end of the body. A bar bell shaped slot for the reception of the pull cord is cut out on the top surface of this elliptical mound shape and performs the same function as that described for the other embodiment, and when the holder is in place on the bottom rail, the elliptical shaped pocket in the rail and the elliptical boss in the holder cooperate with each other to form a. hollow elliptical pocket in which the knot on. the end of the pull cord is located. A rectangular tongue 70 is formed ,on the left end of the holder (Fig. 10) starting just in back of the front edge of the octagonal body atwhich: point it is.

offset downward so that the main plane of the lip is below the plane of the central portion of the body .and extend:

' ing outward an amount sufiicient to. keep the holder locked when in place on the rail.

The other end of the holder is provided with a rcc-. tangular shaped pocket 73 on the holder, its width being equal to the side parallel to the conjugate axis of the holder. The fioor of the rectangular pocket is disposed below the plane of the central portion of the holder and the pocket is of sufficient depth to allow the small tongue,

of the receptacle on the bottom rail to fit intothe depres: sion so formed.

The elongated sides 65 and 66 of the holder body EX. tend outward and slightly upward, beginning justadja; cent to the flat central portion of the holder and then curve downward near the edges thereof, this curvature.

conforms to the formation of sides of the bottom rail. Like the holder of Fig. 4, this holder is also provided with tongues 30 having points 31, which tongues are struck from the body at the ends and are adapted to receive and hold the ladder tape ends as previously described.

The detachable holder with ladder tape and pull cord attached fits into the receptacle provided for it on the bottom rail. The tongue 70 on the detachable holder is positioned below the upward extending long tongue 60, on the bottom rail and the holder is then moved to the left until the tongue on the rail strikes the rear wall 71 on the lip. Pressure is then applied directly downward until the pocket 73 on the other end of the holder is below the plane of the tongue 61 on the bottom raila With pressure sustained, the holder is then moved in the opposite direction until the'tongue 61 on the rail has entered the pocket 73 formed by the holder. The pres' sure between the underside of the tongues of the rail and the upper surfaces of the tongue and pocket on the holder is of suflicient magnitude to hold the holder in position on the bottom rail.

This pressure is augmented by the fact that the ladder tape is compressed between the lower surfaces of the sides 65 of the holder and the upper curved surfaces 55 of the rail. It will also be noted as best seen in Fig. 12

' that the marginal extremities of the side portions 65 in the holder are bent back upon themselves to form marginal beads/78, the inturned edges of which engage with and resist outward pulling of the ladder tapes.

It will thus be seen that the last described embodiment is considerably more economical in construction than the other and eliminates the need for the dust cover.

In both embodiments, it is apparent that. a tape holder is provided which may be secured to the cord without the use of tools or special equipment, and that the construction is extremely simple and can'be made with a minimum number of operations and includes a minimum number of parts.

The construction of the tape and cord holder and the manner in which it fastens to the bottom rail is such that it may be quickly and easily attached and detached by persons having a minimum of mechanical ability. The construction is also such that, once in position, the tapes are securely held by the joint action of the parts and a better alignment of the tapes with the rail is preserved during use.

There is thus provided a device capable of meeting the purposes set forth above, and although particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it is apparent that modifications thereof can be foreseen to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

It should therefore be understood that the invention is not to be limited by the particular embodiments disclosed and the appended claims will cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A Venetian blind bottom rail having a bottom wall and upwardly extending sides turned inwardly to provide longitudinally extending flanges, said flanges being cut away on opposite sides to provide longitudinally extending notches therein, a tape and cord holder comprising an intermediate portion for holding the tape and cord and having outwardly extending flanges on the sides thereof for engagement with said longitudinally extending flanges and tongues extending outwardly on opposed ends of said holder for engagement under said longitudinally extending flanges.

2. A Venetian blind bottom rail including a bottom wall and upwardly extending curved sides turned inwardly to provide longitudinally extending flanges spaced above said bottom wall, said flanges extending toward each other and being cut away on opposite sides to provide longitudinally extending notches in the opposite edges, a tape and cord holder comprising an intermediate portion for holding the tape and cord having outwardly extending flanges for engagement with said longitudinally extending flanges and tongues on opposite ends of said holder for engagement under said longitudinally extending flanges.

3. A Venetian blind bottom rail having a bottom wall, upwardly curved sides having inwardly turned portions to provide longitudinally extending flanges in spaced relation to the bottom wall, the opposite marginal portions of which are parallel to the bottom wall and extend horizontally toward each other, said marginal flanges being below the top surface of the curved portions and cut away on opposite sides to provide oppositely facing longitudinally extending notches, a tape and cord holder comprising an intermediate portion for holding the tape and cord having outwardly extending curved flanges for engagement with the curved surfaces of said sides and being provided with longitudinally extending tongues on opposite ends for insertion between said notches and arranged to engage the under surface of said horizontally extending marginal portions of said longitudinally extending flanges, and notches at the junction of said curved flanges and said intermediate portion of said holder arranged to receive said curved sides of said longitudinally extending flanges, said tongues defining the length of said holder and being spaced longitudinally one from the other a distance greater than the length of said notches.

4. A Venetian blind bottom rail comprising a member formed with inward and longitudinally extending flanges, said flanges being provided with longitudinally extending seats disposed below the top plane of the flanges and in horizontal extension toward the center of said member, said seats and flanges at points opposite to each other being cut away to form a short longitudinally extending opening of greater width than the innermost edges of said flanges and seats, a tape and cord holder member for engagement with said flanges and seats comprising a substantially flat rectangular body having tongues struck therefrom for engaging and holding the tape on the bottom side thereof and a keyhole shaped slot formed in the midportion for reception of the cord, a pair of flanges extending from opposite sides of said body above the plane of the midsection and curving outwardly and downwardly for engagement with the curved side flanges of the rail, said body being formed with tongues substantially the width of the body at the ends thereof having downwardly curved extremities arranged to extend under said seats and said flanges on said body being formed with notches at one end opposite to the junction of the flanges and seats of the rail and arranged to receive the rail therein.

5. A Venetian blind bottom rail comprising a member formed with inward and longitudinally curved side portions defining flanges, said flanges being provided with longitudinally extending seats disposed below the top plane of the flanges, said seats and flanges at points opposite to each other being cut away to form a short longitudinally extending opening of greater width than between the innermost edges of said oppositely disposed flanges and seats, a tape and cord holder member for engagement with said flanges and seats comprising a body section having tongues struck therefrom for engaging and holding the tape on the bottom side thereof and formed with an aperture in the midportion for reception of the cord, a pair of flanges extending from opposite sides of said body above the plane of the midsection and curving outwardly and downwardly for engagement with the curved side portions of the rail, said body being formed with tongues substantially the width of the rail between opposite cut away parts at the ends thereof, the extremities of said tongues being downwardly curved and arranged to extend under said seats and said flanges on said body formed with notches at one end of said holder opposite to the junction of the flanges and seats of the rail and arranged to receive the rail therein, the overall length of the holder and its tongues being greater than the length of said cut away portions, said ladder tape being secured between the edges of said opening and said flanges to bite the ladder tape therebetween when in position.

References Cited in the flle of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,573,163 Thomson Oct. 30, 1951 2,618,329 Nelson Nov. 18, 1952 2,627,917 Lind Feb. 10, 1953 2,659,430 Lorentzen Nov. 17, 1953 2,663,367 Lorentzen Dec. 22, 1953 2,697,487 Nelson Dec.'21, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 659,017 Great Britain Oct. 17, 1951 

